


Biological Urges

by NightmareWalker



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 04:24:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12424968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareWalker/pseuds/NightmareWalker
Summary: “You haven’t fucked in a few days?”“I – I, no, we just…no, we haven’t.  And usually…”“Can’t keep your hands off each other?  I know the feeling.”  Aria looked at something offscreen, expression changing too rapidly for her to catch it, and returned her attention to Shepard.  A smirk twisted her lips as she shifted and casually slipped a finger beneath the edge of her corset.  “Your girl’s shedding, Shep.”





	Biological Urges

            Shepard’s eye twitched when her bedroom door shut soundly in her face.  Her own goddamn door!  “Liara?  Uhm, I’m still out here, babe…”

“I’m…I am indisposed, Shepard; I just – need some time.”

“Ooohh…kay?”  Shepard thumbed behind herself uselessly and took a step back.  “Imma just…yeah.  I’ll be in the kitchen, okay?  Making dinner?”  There was no answer from the other side of the door and Shepard’s eyebrow travelled further up her forehead in consternation as she pivoted on her heel.  She banged around in the kitchen for a few minutes, then gave up on trying to concentrate on their meal and opened up a vid call on her omni tool. 

“Shep, I swear on Athame’s holy cunt, if this is anything less than a life-and-death situation, I will warp you into space.”

“Good evening to you, too, Aria.”  Shepard ignored the dressy robes slung over the back of the couch Aria was lounging on – in fact, ignored the _extremely_ visible cleavage under Aria’s loosened corset – and chewed on her lip for a second.  “Do asari have a period?”

“A…excuse me?”  Aria’s expression betrayed her complete bewilderment.  She scraped a hand down her face and stared incredulously at Shepard. 

“Yeah, Liara’s been acting really weird the past few days, maybe a week.  Kind of…grumpy?”  A heavy sigh strained the loose edges of Aria’s corset and Shepard hastened on.  “Like, she isn’t really hungry, and she doesn’t want me to touch her, or hold her, and we – I mean, it’s been a while since…uhm.” 

Shepard’s face reddened in embarrassment as she tried to talk to Aria and her face flickered to amusement.  “You haven’t fucked in a few days?”

“I – I, no, we just…no, we haven’t.  And usually…”

“Can’t keep your hands off each other?  I know the feeling.”  Aria looked at something offscreen, expression changing too rapidly for her to catch it, and returned her attention to Shepard.  A smirk twisted her lips as she shifted and casually slipped a finger beneath the edge of her corset.  “Your girl’s shedding, Shep.”

“Wha – what?”

“Did I stutter, dick-for-brains?  Best guess, she’s either pregnant, entering her matron stage, or has otherwise grown.  It happens, especially to maidens.  We get moody as fuck, nothing to do about it but either stay away, keep us distracted, or try and help.”

“Well, how can I-”

“You know, I’d _really_ enjoy hashing this out with you, but I’m a little _preoccupied_ at the moment.”  A faint hum made Aria grunt and the piercing blue of her irises was abruptly swallowed up by her pupils as she rocked her hips.  Shepard coughed in surprise and Aria grinned wildly. 

“ _Fuck_ , that feels good, babe.”  Her hand disappeared beneath the edge of the vid, biceps flexing faintly as she directed someone offscreen.  “You know, Shep, Tevos doesn’t really appreciate you distracting me, so I’m gonna have to cut this short. Ta!”  Shepard was treated to the sight of Tevos’ crests bobbing between Aria’s legs before the call ended and scrubbed at her eyes while muttering under her breath. 

She eventually got dinner going and put a timer on her omni-tool before striding up the stairs and pausing at the closed bedroom door.  She set her palm against the door and gently opened it, slipping into the cool, dim room.  “Liara?  Hey, I got supper going, I thought-”

“I wish to be alone.” 

Shepard froze at the quiet, serious tone as her eyes angled toward the small lump beneath the covers of their bed.  She took a couple silent steps closer and stopped near the edge of the mattress.  “I know, I just…I called Aria; she said you might be shedding?  Like, I wasn’t even aware that was something asari did, but I guess it makes sense since you have scales and all-”

“It’s called ecdysis, it happens every twenty or so years while in our maiden stage.”  The lump on the bed shifted slightly and two eyes appeared from beneath the duvet, glowing faintly in the moonlight streaming through the window.  Liara’s face was cast in dramatic shadows against the moonlight, the slight downturn of her lips seeming more severe and cloaking half of her face in disconcerting darkness.  “It’s aggravating, and embarrassing, and – and-”

“Hey, it’s alright, c’mon.”  Shepard slipped onto the edge of the mattress as Liara’s voice thickened with the onset of tears and carefully ran a hand over the duvet over where she figured her shoulder was.  Her lips quirked briefly as Liara shifted closer and shut her eyes.  “It’s okay, Li.  Is it, it isn’t like you’re becoming a matron or – or _pregnant_ , are you?”

“Goddess, no!”  Liara’s eyes shot open and regarded Shepard with panic skirting the edges of them, fingers appearing over the duvet to dig into the soft bedding.  She settled back into the mattress after a second and exhaled heavily.  “No, no, it’s none of that.  I’m just – it’s been seventeen years since I last shed, and I knew it was coming, I was just going to go to the apartment on Thessia for a couple weeks until it was done and-”

“And I would have followed you once you started acting like _this._ ”  Shepard smiled wryly as she leaned down to buss a kiss across Liara’s forehead.  “Let me help you.”

“Okay.”

Liara let Shepard pull the covers off her and shyly offered her hand so she could be pulled out of bed and into the ensuite.  “Maybe a bath?  You could soak for a while?”

“I want you to help, if you want,” Liara said quietly, gaze trained on her toes and only occasionally sneaking glances at Shepard through her eyelashes.  She bit her lip and startled when Shepard tipped her head back with two fingers beneath her chin. 

“I want you to be comfortable.”

“I…”  Liara swallowed and her eyes swam with tears.  “Maybe I’ll soak for a while, but you can help – scrub my skin?”

“Of course.”  Shepard kissed the corner of Liara’s mouth and got the water running before leaving her alone.  She sat on the bed and did some research on asari shedding, listening to the faint sounds of water through the door and the relieved sighs that made her chest expand with contentment. 

Almost thirty minutes later, she heard Liara call her name quietly and walked back into the bathroom, finding Liara reclining in the tub with everything but her head submerged in the water.  Condensation clung to the tiles beneath Shepard’s feet and dampened the hem of her worn jeans as she walked up behind her and bent to kiss the back of her crests.  Liara hummed lowly, water sloshing quietly against the porcelain as she shifted, and Shepard knelt beside the tub on the thick towel on the floor. 

“What can I do?”

“There’s a brush I purchased a couple weeks ago.  Just…scrub my skin.  Gently, please, I’m sensitive right now.” 

Shepard smiled as she lifted Liara’s arm from the water and started carefully washing her skin; peering more closely, she could see the flaking scales peeling away in patches.  The old ones were dull looking while the small areas she had already shed shone vibrantly.  Shepard methodically scrubbed from Liara’s wrist to her shoulder, lingering in the places where Liara would tremble and leaning in occasionally to kiss her jaw or shoulder or the back of her hand.  She washed her other arm, then pursed her lips as she stood at the foot of the tub.  “I think I need to get in to do your legs.”

“I can-”

“I know, but I _want_ to do this.”  Shepard shot a winsome smile at Liara, who acquiesced and watched avidly as Shepard nonchalantly tugged her shirt over her head.  As her hair fluttered down around her shoulders, she bent to slide her jeans down her hips along with her underwear.  Liara blatantly eyed her breasts and her gaze trailed down her flat stomach to her sex.  Shepard set her hands on the lip of the tub and arched her back, inhaling to accentuate her breasts more, and smirked.  “Like what you see?” 

As she slid into the warm water, Liara bit her lip.  “Maybe.”

“Well _maybe_ after this, I can distract you.”  Shepard ran her hand up Liara’s leg, kneading her calf on her way to her thigh and lifting it from the water.  She slid a little closer and set Liara’s ankle over her shoulder as she started scrubbing at the dull scales that covered her thigh.  “You are so damn beautiful.” 

Liara scoffed and Shepard’s eyebrow shot up curiously.  “I’m shedding, I’m moody, my scales-”

“Are still beautiful, dull or not.  _You_ are stunning, Li, regardless of what your skin looks like.  This?  This is just a chance for me to do something for you that you can enjoy.  Besides, I’ll never turn down a chance to touch your naked body.”  Shepard winked as she kissed Liara’s calf and set her leg back into the water so she could scrub the other.  “C’mon, let me do your back.” 

Liara slowly shifted until she was sitting with her cheek resting on her knees and Shepard traced the knobs of her spine until she came to the dimples at the small of Liara’s back.  She ghosted a kiss across her shoulder and slowly scrubbed at the larger scales that covered her spine, leaning into the brush when Liara arched her back more and groaned.  “Goddess, that feels amazing.” 

Shepard chuckled as she pulled a large patch of loose scales off her shoulder blade and kissed the newly bared, brightly shining scales.  “I’m glad.” 

By the time they got out of the water, it was cool and murky with the remains of her shed sitting at the bottom of the tub.  Shepard wrapped Liara in a thick towel and rubbed her down gently before sending her on her way with a pat to her ass.  Liara squeaked and shot a look over her shoulder at Shepard, who grinned insouciantly as she quickly toweled off her skin. 

The timer went off as Shepard walked back into the bedroom and she disappeared for a second while Liara sat on the edge of the bed, reappearing with a large plate of food she set on the table near the door.  “So, I don’t know if you’re hungry or not, but I brought some food up just in case.”

“Thank you, but I won’t eat much until this is done.” 

Liara offered a faint smile and Shepard nodded.  “It’s here if you want it.  How are you feeling?”

“Better.  Still itchy, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was.”

“How long does this last?”

“Usually about ten days for me, although it may be faster since I have someone to help with the process.” 

Liara absently scratched at the side of her neck and Shepard took her hand between hers.  “How about I distract you for a while, then we see if you’re hungry and go to bed afterward?”

“Oh?  How did you plan on distracting me?” 

Shepard smiled lopsidedly as she pulled the ends of Liara’s towel apart and straddled her lap, crossing her arms behind her head to cradle her crests in her hand.  “I’m sure I can think of something.”


End file.
